Tag Archives: caloric restriction

I “wrote” part 1 of this post a couple of weeks ago, with the intention of following up with a rationale. In fact I wrote most of this prior to posting part 1, but my enjoyment of a little fun lead me to post part 1 first. If you haven’t seen it, check it out. It is a very quick read.

My intention when I began to write this post was to provide a detailed scientific literature review on the topic. Because let’s face it, science is cool. Unfortunately my journal search came up short. Very short. Then I came across a page on the Isagenix website titled: “Science Behind Cleansing“

Typically I look for peer-reviewed journals as sources, but since I was having trouble finding any, I decided to give this a read.

The article presents the benefits of cleansing, which the article defines as “a combination of intermittent fasting with herbs and vitamins that support detoxification”, with a brief description of each benefit and in most cases a reference to at least one peer-reviewed journal.

The benefits listed are:

weight control

food cravings

insulin sensitivity

brain function

anti-aging

detoxification

The descriptions of the first five benefits include references to peer-reviewed journals, suggesting that there is science to back up the claims made. In each case, however, the benefit and associated reference is about intermittent fasting and/or caloric restriction, not about cleansing.

The sixth benefit listed, detoxification, is the only benefit related to the “herbs and vitamins that support detoxification” part of a cleanse, which is the part that Isagenix and other multi-level-marketing companies sell. It is also the only benefit listed thatcontains no references.

In other words, there is no science presented that supports the use of a cleanse. There is, however, scientific evidence presented that supports the use of intermittent fasting.

That there are benefits to intermittent fasting (IF) isn’t surprising to me. I have been following the topic of IF for several years now, both in the literature and via the personal and professional experiences of trainers in my network. If you were to ask these trainers their impression of intermittent fasting, I think you would find the response is overwhelmingly: “it may be a good option for some people“. Their lack of conviction is partly a reflection of the quality of trainer I have in my network – they are thinkers and understand that we are all different. Their lack of conviction is also a reflection of the uncertainty of this nutritional approach.

As for the cleanse? Think about it: if there was scientific support for the use of a cleanse, it would probably be included in the Isagenix “Science Behind Cleansing” article, wouldn’t it? After all, every other element of the article is nicely referenced.

My best suggestion is that you skip the cleanse, and if you are curious about IF, read more about it, and as long as you don’t have any health concerns that could be negatively impacted by fasting, consider giving it a try. Just be sure to listen to your body if you do. If you are a woman, definitely read up on it before you try it, as it looks like much of what is coming out about IF suggests that it may not be a great option for women.

Suggested references about intermittent fasting:

As noted above, the Isagenix “Science Behind Cleansing“, which might be more aptly called “Science Behind Intermittent Fasting” article has some interesting points about IF, including references to journals.